People often say they want to “find their purpose in life”. That mindset is a mistake. Life is too rich, varied, and complex to be reduced to a single purpose.
According to Ayn Rand[1], happiness is the highest moral purpose of human life. That means that happiness is a lifelong purpose. It’s no accident that America’s Declaration of Independence names “the pursuit of happiness” as an inalienable human right.
We can – and should — have many purposes, such as a purpose to learn and grow; a purpose to maintain a loving relationship; a purpose to create and nurture a family; a purpose to start and grow a business; a purpose to write a novel; a purpose to stay healthy and eat well – lots of purposes. Many purposes support the pursuit of our higher purpose, happiness.
Carl B. Barney
August 21, 2025
[1] Paraphrased from Ayn Rand’s essay, “The Objectivist Ethics,” published in The Virtue of Selfishness (1964).
Keep on keeping on
I have been a widow for 30 years. I have lost a lot of people in my life, which of course has made me sad. But, I still have remained grateful and happy. I have always said I refuse to even let the word depressed in my vocabulary